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Definition of shaman in English:

shaman

Pronunciation /ˈʃɑːmən//ˈʃamən//ˈʃeɪmən/

noun

A person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits, especially among some peoples of northern Asia and North America. Typically such people enter a trance state during a ritual, and practise divination and healing.

‘Even the most primitive hunting and gathering bands had their chiefs and matriarchs, weapon and tool makers, and shamans or witch doctors who had to be supported, and their part-time services needed subsidy by the rest.’

‘It is said among shamans that each is paired with his or her perfect spirit guide.’

‘For millennia, shamans and witch doctors, the therapists of indigenous and preindustrial cultures, made no distinction between physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.’

‘Many people consult shamans and other religious practitioners.’

‘In many rural communities, men and women function equally as shamans and healers.’

‘The rituals are performed under the direction of the shaman.’

‘Unlike ‘summoners’, mages / shamans / shamanists do not call the spirit and let it fight; they call the spirit and use its power to fight by their own means.’

‘Even Amazonian shamans, when in trance, travel to spirit governments to gain the power to cure.’

‘Religious roles, from shamans to Catholic priests to Muslim imams, are dominated by men.’

‘He now suggests they were used as ‘spirit tracks’ by prehistoric shamans who, in trances, travelled along them on out-of-body travel.’